History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man

Many students perceive history as just a record of dates, personalities, and events. Yet, our past is more than just a chronicle of facts – it is a series of wars fought between scientific and romantic humans trying to influence the world. Though traditionally viewed as black and white, in reality, the true victor has often emerged from shades of grey – a rational person with an ethical heart who blends science with romance!

This essay explores how science dominates the historical rhetoric over romance and why its victory is dangerous if not confined by moral romance. Let’s get started!

Science-Romance Differentiation

The confrontations of scientific and romantic humans can be better understood by knowing their meanings. Science involves rational and critical thinking before performing an action, while romance refers to irrational, cultural, and emotional reasons for doing the same. Generally, a same action has both scientific and romantic backings. For example, greeting others through “Namaskar” is being followed as an Indian tradition. But due to no hand-to-hand contact, it also prevents transmission of diseases as seen in COVID-19!

However, actions and events in history did not have an equal blend of both. In fact, till the time of the scientific renaissance (revolution), romantic thoughts prevailed. While it certainly helped to bring morality into society at first, it soon transformed into a tool of oppression under power-hungry elites who tried to keep society under their control. To win over their irrational manifestative reasoning and bring in universal prosperity, many scientific wars in different forms were fought throughout history in which science ultimately triumphed.

Science Triumphed Over Romance

Throughout our past, victories of science have been distributed among various fields and aspects to comprehensively move towards this scientific world.

There was a time when economic relationships in many places were predominantly based on trust. Eventually, the exploitation of innocent workers by so-called trusted employers started to increase, giving rise to the workers’ movement. This movement was truly a scientific intervention, as it helped in formalizing labour rights by defining working hours, the pay scale, rules, etc. through written contracts, thus giving them a voice in history, which was earlier choked in the name of romantic trust! 

Politics was another major domain of elite rule and the 19^th and early 20^th century USA was a notable example. Until scientific interventions by US President Wilson, and many other scholars, including Weber, politics was corrupt, nepotism prevailed over merits in public service, and exploitation multiplied due to poor checks and balances. Their efforts gave rise to a scientific bureaucracy, restoring rationality in the political structure that mitigated the sufferings of common people.

Society is an arena where frequent scientific revaluation of reasoning for social practices becomes important to prevent injustices. While the varna system in the Vedic period was mobile, the elite intervention over the period made it rigid, attributing the caste to the birth. Not until the original Vedic scriptures were scientifically reinterpreted by social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, etc., did the people understand the truth that the caste is based on their profession and even that profession is based on their choice and not hereditary.

Further, Science itself is a field where science must war against romance. There was a time when people believed in geocentric theory which held that celestial bodies, including the sun, revolved around the earth. Any critic on this view was challenged by the Roman Catholic Church as they believed it opposed their long-standing intellectual and theological authority. It was only after the efforts of scholars, including Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, and Johannes Kepler, that the rational heliocentric model, where planets including earth revolve around the sun, was accepted. This became an important chapter of European history for accelerating the scientific revolution by breaking dogmatic authority.

The expectation of the education system to blindly accept adults’ sayings without asking why, was also culturally masked in the name of respect. This led to the domination of the elderly, thus prioritising blind compliance over creativity. Again, scientific humans like Socrates were needed to bring back the scientific temper and courage to challenge the irrationals and negatives.

While all the above cases may make us believe that the scientific world is the most just world, this is only partially true. In fact, history has illustrated that science with no romance is a double-edged sword. It can pierce even the good if wielded by an immoral hand!

Romance as a Guide

The scramble for Africa is a classic example of how science can exploit innocents if driven by corrupt forces. The technological advances fuelled by imperialistic and economic ambitions led the European colonial powers to artificially divide Africa among themselves, paying no regard to the innocent African souls. Effects of such scientific colonial exploitation are still being reflected today, as we can see from Africa’s malnourished children, underdeveloped infrastructures, terrorizing coups, and continued economic and political instabilities. What went missing here was not rational thoughts, but empathetic minds.

The cases that we discussed before, from legalizing labour rights to rationalizing bureaucracy, from reinterpreting religion to questioning authority, all seem to heroize science over romance. On contrary, this African Scramble example seems to warn against science. Finally, all these cases keep the focus on the victory between science and romance. But the meaningfulness of that victory has always been determined on whether the victor was rooted in moral romance or not.

That is, every heroic scientific intervention, from labour rights to questioning authority, was backed not only by rationality, but also rooted in morality and justice, which is nothing but moral romance. Without such moral foundation, mere scientific victory seemed destructive as seen in the case of Africa. So, battles in history were truly won by rational humans, who were grounded in morality. 

And further as we advance in science, such battles will be replicated at a huge magnitude. That too in this AI age, which attempts to replace human thinking with that of machines, rooting science in ethical values is never the more relevant.

So, although history is a triumph of empirical fighters over emotional ones, it also shows how even such scientific warriors can lose in the battle of desire, if not guided by a moral compass. Opposed to solely scientific ones, the future needs virtuous technocratic commandos who can lead their people into a glorious age of responsible prosperity!

This is our turn for bringing scientific renaissance. Give your scientific temper a boost. Share your logical thoughts in the comment section below.

The Time to Repair a Roof is when the Sun is Shining

 

When American President John F. Kennedy popularized the quote – “The Time to Repair a Roof is when the Sun is Shining,” he wanted USA to build a proactive economic infrastructure in good times to prevent future economic breakdown. Later, many further interpreted this same quote in terms of bringing political reforms in line with people’s aspirations; social reforms to break the rigidity of regressive practices; legal reforms to make inclusive justice; other infrastructural reforms to cope up with climate change, disasters, defence, technology boom, etc. – All these reforms undertaken in times of stability to avoid future crisis, just like how one must repair the roof in the sun to prevent leakage in the rain.

While even regular physical exercise as a repair to bodily ailments is a common interpretation, mental health aspects often go unnoticed. In this fast-paced world order, the fact that the mind can sustain huge wear and tear on restless exploitation is seriously neglected. As a result, efforts to heal the mind are neither undertaken nor are timely, thus, leading to surging psychological issues.

In this essay, we are going to explore why, when, and how the mind must be repaired and reformed.

Why Repair?

Life is a dynamic maze which poses – continuous questions that need to be answered, frequent challenges that must be overcome, and evolving puzzles that require adaptable solutions. While this creates an illusion that life is complex, in reality, it is not, when we realize that all answers come from one place – The Mind.

Mind is the place where thoughts emerge, interact, unbecome, and evolve. These thoughts are what are often being celebrated as solutions to living crisis. However, just like how an un-repaired roof itself could collapse besides leakage during rain, an unchecked thinking and unhealed mind can bring catastrophe; just like how the negligence to correct unethical conduct in child leads to morality breakdown in adulthood besides mental drain out. Thus, the periodical maintenance and repair of mind at the right time becomes necessary.

Repair when Sun Shines

When it comes to mental health, the timing of the repair and maintenance becomes crucial. While unwarranted delay might cause mental breakdown, excessive resting periods could slow down the cognitive process. That is, stress management must be done as soon as possible before burnout. This is because burnout might lead to consequences ranging from frequent anger outbursts to permanent self-termination of life – suicides. The suicide of the chartered accountant Anna Sebastian in 2024 was a firm reminder of such an extreme burnout.

On the other hand, over-resting in the name of stress management is also not good either. It will not only make one’s mind lazy, but also leave it feeble. That is, mind will perform at its best only when the stress is proportional to mind’s pressure handling capability. Below such a threshold, the mind feels less motivated to think critically, and thus, leading to boredom and stagnation. So, when the time to handle massive decisions comes, the mind often crumbles on facing such a challenge. Those are the situations that expose the vulnerability of a mind that is always in a comfort zone.

The timing of repair and maintenance also applies to ethical conduct. In reality, rarely all ethical values are universal. They are subjective and contextual, i.e. differ across time and space. In that way, one must continuously think and rethink ethics according to the context and apply it wisely as per situation. Thus, maintenance of mind includes periodical introspection of our decisions and realizing our mistakes. However, excessive introspection of all decisions risks indecisiveness. If introspection is completely absent, it risks dogmatism due to rigidity of value system. Thus, the maintenance must be at a correct interval and frequency.

Repair Smart under the Sun

Whether it is mental health or ethical conduct, both are related to the mind which houses thoughts and expectations. Thus, both issues get solved by the reformation of the mind.

People assume happiness or stress as a product of environment. But, if that assumption is fully accepted, then it is same as blaming the rain for the collapse of the roof. While rain can certainly affect the integrity of the roof, it is the job of the roof to endure the rain. Similarly, it is the job of the mind to decide on whether being joyful or strained, not the external circumstances.

So, reforms of the mind involve changing one’s perception. Perception means how we make sense of our environment. It is subjective, i.e. different people perceive the same situation differently. For example, take any two different people. While one is satisfied with certain amount of wealth, other feels it is inadequate. The issue here is not about the outer world, but on the inner perception. So, if one can repair their perception of the world, then happiness is right within them. The smallest reform one can do is to practice minimalism and contentment. If one works on reducing expectations in life, s/he will certainly be less disappointed.

While timely introspection of our value system is another mental reform, the nature of introspection determines its actual effectiveness. Empathy is the best tool for self-introspection. While what is right or wrong is based on our existing values, empathy teaches us to think about them from others’ perspective. If all start to think from other’s shoes, then one might hesitate to harm others for their self-interest. Everyone must start to self-introspect value system through an empathetic lens, before taking any decisions. This will not only remove any bias and prejudices, but will make justice more inclusive for all.

The best psychological repair for a stressful mind is spending time with mind or self. Even if one is engaged in selfless service, self-service is a necessity to sustain such an altruistic mindset and action. Because, how can one serve if the instrument of service, the mind, is torn? So, periodic rest and recharging of mind must be done to prepare for upcoming harsh work weathers.

While the rain cannot be controlled, at the least, throwing of stones on others’ mental roofs can be prevented. That is, we must stop imposing undue pressure on peers in the name of expectations, toxic motivation, and competition. While they might help one to grow to a certain level, beyond limits, they knowingly or unknowingly crush one’s peace of mind. So, family, peers, employers must encourage one to push beyond limits. But such encouragement must remain healthy and reasonable, not turn into obsession. Thus, reasonable motivation can prevent substantial roof damage and maintain sustainability.

Mind is the biggest roof that must be repaired when sun shines to face the harsh rainy times. Such repairs must not only be prompt, but also be smart in order to prolong psychological wellbeing and adapt morality according to the circumstances. Thus, societal prosperity will be possible only if mental revolution occurs because – “What you see outside, is a reflection of yourself!”

Let me know in the comments about your perception of my views on mind. Do comment below!

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school

Albert Einstein, by giving this quote, not only acknowledged the human being’s natural tendency to forget, but also their ability to remember only those that matters in life. So, in his view, what matters, is beyond the traditional syllabus of the schools, which is often unwritten, but is the one that helps us lead our lives. If life is like a war, then, education is like what remains after the dust has settled, because only that which remains, can lead the life forward. Not the ones that are dead or forgotten!

In this essay, we will explore the unwritten syllabus of schools; what remains after the dust settles; and importantly, if the one that got dusted, really matters or not. Also, we will see the case of what happens if everything is dusted and nothing remains. Let's get started!

Let us begin our journey from our schools!

Back to school

Traditionally, the school education was perceived to be confined to a “textbook syllabus”. So, the focus lies towards the mastery of syllabus, to be more precise, “memorizing the chronicles of syllabus”. Furthermore, the certification obtained through this memorization becomes a parameter for measurement of the education. One must realize that with time, the unrevised and unused contents will eventually disappear, leaving only some remnants to stay!

This is where one gets a question, “Did I waste all my school years?” The answer to that depends on another question, “Did you learn only the syllabus?”. This in turn raises a question for us – did we miss anything or misunderstand what education truly means?

Education Beyond Syllabus

The true meaning of education as Einstein envisioned, is beyond the textbook syllabus. While the syllabus gives us a list of intellectual contents that need to be studied, often there is an unwritten syllabus beyond textbooks that needs substantial coverage.

The first and foremost part of the unwritten syllabus is – Intellectual Probing (IP). The IP, in simple, is just synonymous to what Socrates implies as the “art of questioning”. It will help to develop critical learning ability, i.e. teaches one ‘how’ to learn something instead of just memorizing. This ‘how’ is of utmost importance because besides learning new things, even forgotten ones can be learned back if knew how to learn. And thus, beyond the traditionally emphasized ‘what’, the ‘how’ forms an important part of education.

The second part of the unwritten syllabus is – Emotional Intelligence (EI). EI, in simple, is the ability to manage your emotions and use your social skills to successfully navigate any situation in life. In life, even a simple situation can be blown up if the emotion takes over our cognition, thus hindering our social skills. And schools prepare us to such situations by often simulating it every day. We learn leadership skills through team events, pressure handling skills through jam-packed exam schedules, healthy competition through sports, and equanimity through yoga, and so on. All such learnings necessarily sharpen our EI to face those situations boldly.

Finally, the last one but also the best part of the unwritten syllabus is– Values and Attitude. In fact, the values and attitude are mostly shaped by textbook syllabus. One may forget the specifics of subjects they learned. What still persists is the permanent effects they had on the values and attitudes of the student. While the names, dates, facts and figures of the history subject vanishes, the nationalism invoked while learning the chapter of “Indian freedom struggle” can’t be erased. And such reflection of nationalism in our values and attitude, is the sign of true education. That’s why psychology defines education as the one that brings relatively permanent change in behaviour!

Thus, true education lies in the everlasting effects the unwritten syllabus had on one, when one truly pursued it. This goes well beyond the textbook content, which may be forgotten if not applied in one’s career. But this reminds us of our previous question, “If unwritten syllabus is the true education, then, the once pursued now forgotten knowledge, a waste?” Not really!

The forgotten, are mere ‘means’

While becoming an educated person is the destination, it is not possible without a journey. All the knowledge we obtain is a means to prepare ourselves for our future career. Once its purpose is done, it departs from us just like how a rocket departs from the spaceship once it reaches the space! Poor understanding of this has caused many confusions and misjudgments in the society.

One such popular misconception is expecting career-linearity. While people often criticised the mismatch between graduation and career path against a linear career, many have shown that such criticisms are baseless!

 Dolph Lundgren, famous for his role as a boxer named ‘Ivan Drako’ in Rocky IV, was actually a graduate in Chemical Engineering. When asked about this career switch, he said while he forgot most of what was taught in his graduation, the ability to handle pressure, lesson of perseverance, and work ethic were inspired from his Engineering, especially the project phase. This was of paramount importance for his acting career.

Another example is Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, an Indian biologist who got Nobel Prize in chemistry, started his career as PhD holder in Physics! Here, the journey of physics taught him critical thinking, while the destination in chemistry got him the Nobel prize.

Similarly, other notable examples include Gandhi who started as lawyer to become a national leader. Dr. Lakshmi Sahgal became the leader of Jhansi rani regiment of Subash Chandra Bose’s INA, started as a doctor. She also later turned into a politician and a women rights activist.

So, all of them took what was important from their old careers, and together with their values, pursued their new career paths with conviction. If they have worried about what they forgot and deemed them waste, then, they won’t have realized the power of what they have got, nor would have got that in the first place. Therefore, the journey holds utmost importance, and being educated is just a destination!

In this context, it is fascinating to think upon another thoughtful question – then who are actually the “uneducated” in real sense?

Case of nothing remains

While true education is what one learned from the unwritten syllabus, the educated-uneducated classification depends on the degree to which it remains in them. Sometimes, nothing may remain!

Consider the example of two person. One with multiple degrees, many accolades, but is a short-tempered and self-centred. The other person has no degree, but is very sociable, friendly, and altruistic. When we think who can have better relationship with peers, the obvious answer is the second person. This answer also points to us who really is the educated ones! For the first person, despite all the achievements, the life becomes hollow and empty because true education never rested in these academic achievements. The true goal of pursuing education is to lead a better life. And for that, mingling with people around and living together with good values becomes paramount.

Thus, the real education is not the one that is constrained by textbook syllabus, but extends beyond it, encompassing the ability to critically learn, control emotions, and develop behaviour filled with good values. So, one must not worry about the forgotten texts as it was just the part of the journey to become educated. And, the truly educated one uses education wisely, leading an ethical life, thus bringing happiness to all – Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavanthu!!

Let us learn through Socrate's discussion. Leave your thoughts below!

Mathematics is the music of reason

“Mathematics is the way of life. It is like air, and is present everywhere.”

- [Anonymous]

We like it or not, we cannot deny the role of mathematics in our everyday life. It is present in every conscious decision we make. It echoes in the reasoning we give for every decision, regardless of whether it is a clever or a foolish reason. Just like how pleasant rhythm captures one and the noisy beat annoys, the clever reason pleases us while the foolish ones may irritate. Thus, this makes mathematics more subjective like a music, deviating it from its traditional image of objectivity.

In this essay, we will explore about the musical nature mathematics, when mathematics turns into a noise, and finally how to strike the right note to capture audience!

Before getting started, it is crucial to understand what mathematics really means.

Most of the children in schools complain about the complexity of mathematics. Some even curse the discovery of it! But this frustration is completely understandable because traditionally, mathematics has been projected as a problem to be overcome rather than as a problem-solving tool. Mathematics provides a problem-solving toolkit, comprising of various rational tools like formulas, axioms, properties, etc which are nothing but a manifestation of reasoning. That’s why it is called as “music of reason”, as just like how a music with its rhythm gives us pleasure, the mathematics with its reasoning, pleases us by giving a solution.

Consider a situation where there are 5 children and 10 chocolates. To help one distribute the chocolates equally among children, the mathematics provides variety of reasoning, or tools. Among all those tools, one can pick the formula of simple division, so that, each child gets a fair share of 2 chocolates. Thus, the mathematics has made the children rejoice with its elegant music of reason, just like how a good song with its radiant rhyme makes them dance.

But when we talk about music, however charming it may be, still the same one feels like a noise to some. Ever wondered why?

Music is subjective

Same music might not always resonate well with everyone. It often comes down to the preferences and taste of the audience who listens to it.

Consider the example of a rap song. While it may please the Gen Z (new generation kids), their parents, the older ones may still perceive it as a noise. This subjectivity is simply because of the generation gap that has altered their taste. While the older people demand peace, the younger ones thrive well in the energetic vibes of rap, thus, making music more personalized.

Well, it might be true that music can’t be completely universal enough to please everyone. But can’t mathematics not please all? It is highly objective and gives rational solutions, right?

This is a valid question that needs answering, so that, we can effectively inspect the complexity in decision making, when done at a larger scale.

Not a pleasure always

While distributing chocolates equally is a simple decision to make, when the problem is complex, the mathematical reasoning based on narrow ‘one-size-fits-all’ values often fail to address the problem effectively, thus creating noise!

Assume that there are 40 students in a class. When we apply the formula of simple division as we did earlier in case of distributing chocolates, one teacher spends the same number of hours with all the students. While this reasoning is justified in the name of equality, in reality, it actually worsens the intellectual divide in the class. This is because, it does not consider the difference in the grasping ability of each student, where some may need more time to grasp, while others may need no time at all. So, this same formula based on the narrow ‘one-size-fits-all’ value of equality, while helps some, leaves most in noisy-shadows forever.

So, here, the mathematical formula of simple division should be altered based on the broader value of equity, to inclusively share the benefits of education for all the students. Based on that, if customized teaching is done, spending time with students according to their grasping ability, then the results will be a melody for all rather than appealing just a few. Thus, it becomes crucial for us to customize mathematical reasoning based on broader inclusive values, making its musical solution more personally appealing for all.

Now, let me demonstrate similar orchestra of mathematics in government policy-making, which deals with problems of huge magnitude. Unless the bow is drawn over the strings gently in this violin named governance, the strings might snap causing chaos instead of charm!

Hit the right note

In governance, hitting the right note is crucial to please the stakeholders involved in a problem. But often, as discussed, when the values inspiring the mathematical reasoning becomes narrow, it tunnels the benefits to please only the privileged many, leaving others in ruins, thus, snapping the strings over time.

One such issue arises from dam constructions for hydropower. In such constructions, generally, the narrow utilitarian values make the mathematical reasoning to please the country’s majority. This involves concentration of the divided benefits of such construction towards them. But such a narrow value considering only the economic prosperity of nation’s majority, historically has neglected its negative impacts on various minority groups. Not only were the tribes got displaced without a suitable rehabilitation, also, animals and birds lost their habitat. Further, environmental loss was also not compensated. This in turn manifested itself in the form of naxalism, human-animal conflicts, and, climate change. While mathematical reasoning has the capacity to distribute the benefits to all the stakeholders, narrow value preferences can lead to poor mathematical reasoning, thus creating out of mathematics a chattering chaos opposed to melodious music.

Since this narrow utilitarian value was no more in tune with the expectations of every stakeholder, the value preferences of governments across the world have substantially broadened. They adopted sustainable & inclusive development as their values. This made the mathematical reasoning focus on harm-mitigation strategies together with inclusive distribution of benefits.

It provides for Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) to be conducted before such constructions to estimate the loss, based on which the rehabilitation programs are designed for the affected tribes in prior. Further, the CAMPA, Compensatory Afforestation, helps to compensate for the loss the environment has sustained through calculated plantation drives. This not only gives a new home for the displaced animals and birds, but also prevents their dangerous contact with humans. So, we can infer that while mathematics can provide us with variety of logical roadmaps or formulas; to select the right reasoning, right values are necessary, preferably ethical values. That is when one can hit the right note.

So, the mathematics is not an abstract concept, but music of reason that connects with our heart, inspiring to make better decisions. Just like how music is personalized, mathematical reasoning also is shaped by the value preferences of people. The values that inspire the mathematical reasoning should consider all the unique conditions of all its variables to attain an inclusive and just solution. Despite ‘all’ being ideal, at the least most should feel satisfied, with less being affected. Thus, when the frequency we tune is based on ethical values, mathematics will produce a magnificent melody than a malicious misnote! 

Like how music emerges from friction between strings, the democracy thrives only via constructive discussions. So, share your views below!

Thinking is like a game, it does not begin unless there is an opposite team

 

One may wonder what separates humans from animals? The answer is straightforward, yet a complexly simple one – thinking. It is complex that the process expects the neurons in our brain firing. Yet so simple, that we can do it with ease.

Thinking is a voluntary cognitive action of generating thoughts in an attempt to reason something or some happenings. If it was just limited to generating thoughts, then it might have been called as dreaming. But because it involves voluntary efforts to reason, it is called as thinking.

While humans are capable of thinking, does that mean the thinking begin in itself? Or does it require some motivation, like an opposite team, to trigger its beginning? If so, what if there is no team in opposite? Then how one thinks in such cases? Let us start our journey into the exploration of many such thought-provoking questions for getting a deeper understanding.

One cannot understand the game of thinking without knowing why to play this game in the first place. It is a commonly known fact that the sixth sense is the one that helps the humans think. This sixth sense is given to us so that we can all behave sensibly, at least try to do so. When one is in a traffic, s/he refrains from jumping a signal while the red lights are still on. This basic sense of why to stop in the red light will help to save a life of a pedestrian crossing the road.

Other than for a sensible behaviour, thinking is also important to bring progress in various domains. An artist cannot survive if s/he is not creative enough to please the audience. Also, a scientist cannot bring new technological developments into existence in society if s/he is devoid of reasoning. Similarly, a reformer cannot bring social change if s/he cannot find ways to spark a mental revolution. In all these cases, thinking becomes non-negotiable.

Now that we understood the importance of the game of thinking, that brings us to the next question. Does this game begin by itself? Certainly not. In my poetic words, “reasoning needs a reason to begin”.

A reason to begin

We tend to refer the reason that compels this beginning as an opposite team. Without competition, a system will not be motivated to improvise. Without the need to improvise, there is no reason to begin reasoning, i.e., thinking. Let us consider an entrepreneur is running a business. When will this entrepreneur introduce new and efficient ways of running a business? Only when the competition is outperforming her/him.

Similarly, in a football match, the players will have the motivation to improve their game strategy only if the opposite team is stronger than them. Thus, the competition helps induce thinking.

But many of us do think in many occasions without an opposite team. Then what makes us think?

Game beyond competition

Many a times, it is not an opposite team but a cause beyond self that stands tall in our mind that ignites the drive to think. Rajaram Mohan Roy was one such person, who begun to think not because of any competitors, but to bring a social change. This social cause drove him to contribute to the Intellectual Renaissance (liberation) in India. His thinking helped awaken rationality, thus breaking many superstitious and evil practices like sati, child marriage, female infanticides and so on.

Besides the socio-cultural reform, even the scientific advancements require a cause to ignite thinking. As pointed out precisely by an old saying – “Necessity is the mother of all inventions”. One beautiful example that illustrates this saying is when Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam contributed to the development of light weight prosthetic leg for polio-stricken children. Thanks to his emotional intelligence that helped him think of an alternative for the heavy 3 kg prosthetic leg, in a 300 g composite material used in missile tech.

While in the game of thinking, Nobel causes help bore fruit to the society. One must also be wary of the risk of losing their mind due to extreme causes or toxic competitions.

Risk of losing the mind

We all are aware that mind is the one doing the thinking. What if the cause is narrow and negative? The answer again is very straightforward – Chaos.

We all remember this dark event in the Indian history, the Direct Action Day. This was the result of a man whose narrow communal interest started to dominate broader national interest. We all know him as Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who led to such a bloodshed for India-Pakistan partition. When one plays the game of thinking initiated with a wrong cause, the consequence is always catastrophic.

Not only confined to history, even in the present times, many driven by wrong cause consider their opposite team as an obstacle to be eliminated rather than an opportunity to improve. For example, athletes opt for doping rather than thinking for a better strategy to win in combat sports. In doing so, they not only affect their health in long-term but also become dangerous to their opponent due to the disproportionate physical advantage it provides to the user. This further degrades the reputation of the sport causing a larger harm to legitimacy of the sport. So, it is necessary to think but without losing one's mind to the extreme cause driven by negativity. That brings us to our final question, how to think without losing our mind?

Let the conscience guide

In the game of thinking, the rules are always clear, to play fair and just. To do that, our actions need to be guided by our conscience which is enriched by ethics from childhood. In this context, the part of parenting becomes paramount. Parents should not only aim to raise an intellectual child, but also a child who can think within ethical boundaries. Adding to that, the importance of moral education is never felt more relevant than in this globalized-modern world. It can help in enriching the conscience with morality, inspiring them to play for a cause beyond self-interest in this competitive society.

Further, it is important to develop the culture of healthy competition rather than rivalry among the children. Even in the school exams, we can see how some parents expect their child to top the class at whatever cost rather than ethically. These unfair expectations not only push them into malpractices, but also lead to mental health crisis on failing the exam. While the expectations should shift from winning-at-all-cost to ethically learning, it is also necessary to foster mental resilience to make the child endure the highs of success and the lows of failure with equanimity. In this game of thinking, this will help them not only to play within their ethical boundaries, but also keep them unshaken mentally while doing so.

Thus, thinking is a process beyond dreaming that involves reasoning. Thinking is what has brought in necessary societal changes for the evolution of the world. It needs an opposite team or a cause to begin. But one must also be wary of the risk of losing their mind if played for wrong cause, which may lead to devastating consequences. So, to train our mind to play within the ethical boundaries set by our conscience is crucial. This also requires the parents and our education system to nurture and raise ethical thinkers in the children in a healthily competitive environment. Such a child will always play the game of thinking not for the self but for global rejoice – “Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu”!

Join the game of thinking, let my views be the opposite team. Share your views below in the comment section.